Tower shield + large shield?

[Thordain]

A tower shield is a cover bonus. A normal shield is an armor bonus. Can you use a tower shield in your right hand and a normal shield in your left and have them stack?

 

[Pax]

Technically, yes.

Logically, no.

That very thing is one of the reasons people often consider changing Shields to always give a cover bonus.

 

[greycastle]

does a tower sheild help in melee? if so, how?

 

[Pax]

Yes, it helps.

You get a cover bonus from it.

Just like fighting around a door, or a corner.

 

[Brista]

Is it not actually rather better than that?

For instance, I approach the dragon shield set to 90%. I can pretty much laugh it's fire breath off (+4 saves and the equivalent of improved evasion from the shield)

Next it attacks, my shield still being at 90%, I get a +10 AC bonus just from the shield and again am pretty safe

Now my go. As a free action I adjust the shield to 50% get my attacks and then afterwards adjust the shield back to 90% again. Even if the dragon wises up and readies an action for when I move my shield I get full attacks against his standard attacks.

If I take a Disarm action to knock his wand out of his hand he gets no AOO because I have 50%+ cover

I'm genuinely puzzled by these things - they seem utterly broken. What's more it's a real headache thinking about GMing this. I hate house rules but the rules as written seem to force me to be much more creative and tactical with my monsters than I would like to be (I like most of them to simply charge and attack until killed). I don't want every fight to become a simple walkover or some 20 minute chess match of manouevring and counter-manouevring

 

[Hypersmurf]

Now my go. As a free action I adjust the shield to 50% get my attacks and then afterwards adjust the shield back to 90% again.

You can only adjust the shield once per round.

-Hyp.

 

[Pax]

Further, I believe you GIVE the same cover to yoru foe, that you CLAIM from the shield. I'm not 100% on that, though.

 

[Hypersmurf]

Further, I believe you GIVE the same cover to yoru foe, that you CLAIM from the shield. I'm not 100% on that, though.

With melee weapons, definitely.

With reach weapons, almost definitely.

With ranged weapons, there is debate.

-Hyp.

 

[Brista]

You can only adjust the shield once per round.

-Hyp.

That does help, although it still makes for a very powerful defence. Our fighter could endure the dragon's breath and initiative-winning attack at 90% and then adjust to 50% for his own attack

What is the source for this rule and the rule that it covers your opponent please?

Another question I have is whether there is any guidance in the rules about how much cover you need to make attacks with different weapons. It seems to me that phalanx/legion weapons like shortspear or shortsword might be more effective than larger slashing one-handed weapons. It also seems to me that if you can throw a dart from an arrowslit - anyone who has been around a medieval castle would say you can I think - that you can throw a dart with no penalty from a 90% shield cover.

 

[Hypersmurf]

What is the source for this rule and the rule that it covers your opponent please?

The Tower Shield Explained article is covered in this thread, I believe.

Another question I have is whether there is any guidance in the rules about how much cover you need to make attacks with different weapons.

Check p132 of the PHB.

Essentially, with melee weapons, cover is symmetrical. With ranged weapons, it's not.

-Hyp.